Things are looking brighter for a village football club run by a husband and wife team.

Things are looking brighter for a village football club run by a husband and wife team.

Ken Houlahan, a supply teacher and former university lecturer, is manager and his wife Alison, a housewife, is secretary of Evenwood Town FC.

Last June, when they took over the tiny South Durham club during close season, it had only four players.

Now things are looking up for the team which plays in the second division of the Albany Northern League.

The village with a population of less than 2,000 - the smallest to host a Northern League side - has helped to raise enough money to buy a new set of floodlights to replace the ageing ones which were deemed unsafe by a surveyor.

Without the new lights Evenwood faced expulsion from the league.

Last week Ken and Alison learned they had secured &#xA3;36,000 towards the &#xA3;40,000 needed for the new lights from the Football Stadium Improvement Fund, from the Football Association.

Ken, 49, said: "We needed to raise the extra &#xA3;4,000 ourselves and we have been greatly heartened by the support in the village.

"One lady, who asked to remain anonymous, donated &#xA3;2,000 in memory of her late brother, a keen Evenwood supporter."

Ken lives with Alison in nearby Bishop Auckland.

He said: "Alison comes from Evenwood and when the club almost died on its feet last year we felt we wanted to help. Now there is a strong committee, and match day attendances are improving."